


An Imprecise Translation {ben}

by ghostwriterofthemachine



Series: Pragmatics of the Jedi [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (it's 4 times really but the concept is there), 5 Times, Canon-Typical Mentions of Genocide, Dai Bendu, Fictional Languages, Gen, Jedi Culture, Languages and Linguistics, Names, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Post-Order 66, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:02:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25965559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostwriterofthemachine/pseuds/ghostwriterofthemachine
Summary: Dai Bendu is the language of the Jedi.Here are four times Obi-Wan Kenobi has heard the wordben.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & The Jedi Order
Series: Pragmatics of the Jedi [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885129
Comments: 27
Kudos: 569





	An Imprecise Translation {ben}

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loosingletters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loosingletters/gifts).



> So pretty much, [loosingletters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loosingletters/pseuds/loosingletters) and I had the following exchange on discord: Hahahaha wouldn't it be fun to make a Jedi con lang? lol nah I'm just kidding. Unless......?? 
> 
> And long story short, we're now a week into this and are creating it from the grammar up and having way too much fun. 
> 
> So thanks for being the best linguistics buddy ever, and also to the discord server for endless enthusiasm!! I am excited!!

1.

The Senior Padawan teaching the ‘saber class helps him to his feet, after the kata again proved to be too difficult, and his body too unpracticed. Obi-Wan must look truly miserable and despondent, because her face softens and she offers her hands, spread, to him— an offer of comfort. 

He takes it, and lays his small hands in hers. She squeezes them. 

“Obi-Wan,  _ ben, _ ” she says, and chucks him lightly under the chin. 

She helps correct his hold on the training saber, and the class continues. 

2.

Qui-Gon’s giant hands on his shoulders, gripping, instant. 

“ _ Ben _ ,” he commands, low and urgant, and continues the rest of the sentence in rapid Dai Bendu as they are dragged away from each other. 

“What did he say to you?” demands the guard, shaking Obi-Wan, snarling in his face.

“He said that this is all my fault and that he disowns me as his student,” Obi-Wan lies, easily. 

The actual words spoken follow him into the dark cellblock—  _ “endure. Tell them nothing. Know I am coming for you.” _

3.

“Hey, General. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s that thing you said to General Skywalker?”

Obi-Wan looks up at Cody. “What thing?”

“You say it to him before most battles. After, sometimes, too. It’s—” Cody hesitates, the way he always does when he’s worried about making a mistake. “ _ Been? _ ” 

“Oh,” says Obi-Wan. “ _ Ben _ .” He corrects the pronunciation gently, adds the little twist of the vowel so unfamiliar to Basic or Mando’a. “It means— hm. There’s not a perfect translation into Basic. The closest would be something like ‘endure,’ I suppose, or ‘endurance.’ But there’s also an implied command there— ‘you will endure this,’ and also the implication of strength that’s already present, or strength that will be earned. ‘You are strong enough to endure this, and you will.’ Something like that.”

“...That’s a lot in one word, sir.”

Obi-Wan laughs, and it feels good to do it. “Yes,” he says, “it is, isn’t it?”

Cody doesn't ask why he says that particular word to Anakin, every time they part for battle. He doesn't have to, after that explanation. 

4.

He’s been doing so well at keeping strong, until this moment. He’s been solely focused on getting Luke to safety, and then on vanishing himself; there hasn’t been time to process and mourn. 

But then, the scent coming off that market stall had been earthy and spicy, a hint of incense in it. 'That smells,' Obi-Wan had thought distractedly, 'the way Quinlan smells. Or—' 

And the thought hit him like a hydraulic punch. 

It smells way Quinlan _ used to _ smell. 

So now Obi-Wan Kenobi is crammed in a filthy side alley, trying to breathe his way through panic and tears. He needs to calm down. He needs to. 

He clenches his eyes shut. He searches for a mantra, some familiar meditation chant, _anything_ to ground him, but the pain blocks out even the most basic of crèche techniques. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi cannot do this. 

_‘You are strong enough to get through this,’_ his mind races silently. ‘ _You are strong enough to get through this, you are strong enough to get through this. Be calm, feel it and let it go, oh, oh Quin, Luminara, Plo, Kit,_ raheniel kat fehl, _the children,_ nevi paqor, _all our babies, I can’t, I_ can’t— _”_

“Hey, buddy, you really can’t do this here.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes fly open. There’s a slouching teenager crouching in front of him, looking not unsympathetic. 

“What?”

“You need to get up and move. Next person who finds you isn’t gunna be as nice as me,” the youth says. “You need a hand up? Or someplace better to deal with...whatever this is?”

“No,” says Obi-Wan, struggling to his feet. “No, I’m quite alright, thank you, I’ll just be going now—” and begins to walk away, still choking on his pounding heart. 

“Alrighty,” says the teenager. “Good luck, Ben.”

Obi-Wan stops. 

“What was that?”

“Ben?” The kid raises an eyebrow. He says it the Basic way, with the wrong sound on the 'e.' “That’s what you said over and over, when I asked your name before.”

‘Oh,’ thinks Obi-Wan. He must have been chanting out loud, not just in his mind. Begging himself to do just that;  _ ben, Obi-Wan,  _ say dozens of voices from his past. _Ben,_ Kenobi.

“Is that not your name?”

“No,” says Obi-Wan, and purpose settles over him like a cloak. Warm and sure. The grief is not gone, but the panic is. 

“That’s right. I’m Ben.”

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:  
> - _ben:_ something close to "endurance" or "endure this," with the implication of both inherent strength and strength yet to be gained.  
> - _raheniel kat fehl_ : my sibling  
> - _nevi paqor_ : the children
> 
> I have a feeling you guys are going to be seeing more of this in the future ^_^ Thank you for reading!!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Befitting Title {kanan}](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25973710) by [loosingletters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loosingletters/pseuds/loosingletters)
  * [Endurance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27608588) by [simpskywalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpskywalker/pseuds/simpskywalker)
  * [Remembrance (Empire Day)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28447101) by [PBlack2019](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PBlack2019/pseuds/PBlack2019)




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